Exploring the Design of Collaborative Technological Systems to Assist Patients in Motivating Quitting Gambling with Family Members

Gambling addiction can have a profound impact on the mental and financial well-being of individuals and their families. This paper presents an in-depth study on the development of technologies aimed at promoting collaborative efforts between patients and family members to deal with gambling addiction. The study performed interviews with ten pairs of gambling-addicted patients with a family member, six patients without family participation, and four treatment experts. Thematic analysis was conducted from the perspectives of patients and family members with the aim of identifying key themes underlying the development of the three antecedents of Planned Behavioral Theory: attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. In accordance with the tenets of Prospect Theory, we sought to elucidate the process of attitude formation during editing and evaluation. We also analyzed opportunities and concerns in designing technologies to address gambling addiction. The identified themes provided a basis by which to assess design implications from the perspective of Planned Behavioral Theory. Our analysis revealed three directions for future development: 1) helping patients to make informed gambling decisions through rational editing and evaluation, as suggested by Prospect Theory (attitude level); 2) promoting communication within families to enhance mutual understanding and trust (subjective norm level); and 3) helping patients to develop personal capabilities, while providing a realistic impression of their progress (perceived behavioral control level).